5 Top Tips to Build a Rock-Solid Communications Strategy
On the day the music died, it would be good to resurrect and resolve a bad habit – the Lack of Communication. It is incredible how just a little bit of communication:
Creates raving fans
Quiets squeaky wheel Clients
Repairs disappointments
Communication. We hear that word so much it often falls on deaf ears (pun intended).
You know…like when your spouse asks you to do something, you nod your head with an affirmative, “Sure, I’ll get that done.”
A couple weeks later, the same question is asked. “Oh yeah, I’m getting to it,” you respond sheepishly.
Yup, we’ve all been there.
When it comes to architecting a rock-solid Communications Strategy, if your MSP is guilty of the same thing, we’re here to change that.
We’ll start with a breakdown of what a good Communications Protocol should ideally look like, then wrap up with 5 of our top tips.
Exactly what defines a Communication Strategy?
Well, according to Wikipedia:
Communications is the act of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules.
Strategy is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art of the general", which included several subsets of skills including military tactics, siege craft, logistics etc., the term came into use in the 6th century C.E. in Eastern Roman terminology, and was translated into Western vernacular languages only in the 18th century. From then until the 20th century, the word "strategy" came to denote "a comprehensive way to try to pursue political ends, including the threat or actual use of force, in a dialectic of wills" in a military conflict, in which both adversaries interact.
Communications Protocol is a system of rules that allows two or more entities of a communications system to transmit information via any kind of variation of a physical quantity. The protocol defines the rules, syntax, semantics and synchronization of communication and possible error recovery methods. Protocols may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of both.
What a Customer-Facing Communications Strategy Looks Like for MSPs
Warning Will Robinson: we are talking about non-alert tickets only. Do not send a Customer-Facing notification for every alert received. Trust me; I know this from experience and from giving the Customer what they asked for…which led to regrets each and every time. It is amazing how many times we need to protect the Customer from themselves.
So, let’s break it all down for you, starting with:
A Reason:
To provide a Great Customer Experience – make it nice ‘n easy to do business with you.
To hold the Support Team accountable to provide a consistent Customer Experience.
To provide value to the Customer.
To build trust and a partnership with the Customer.
A Message:
A status update at each significant step in the lifecycle of a Customer’s request.
Use language that reflects the MSPs culture and relationship with its Customers.
Include a survey at the 1st and 3rd step in the 3-step automated closing process.
A Delivery System:
Automation provides consistency.
Phone calls provide a personal touch as well as a rich information exchange.
Time Entry triggers encourage good documentation and Real-Time Time Entry.
Noise Mitigation:
Branding so they know it is you and not one of the hundreds of marketing emails that hit their inbox on a regular basis.
A Subject line and Banner informing them of why they are receiving the notification.
A clear, concise message.
A bold call to action if a Customer response is needed.
A Reception:
An email that makes it easy to understand and to take action (including delete with confidence if it is something like an acknowledgment).
An Understanding of the Original Message:
Communication only happens if the Customer clearly understands why you are communicating, what you are communicating, and what you expect them to do so they then know how to respond.
5 Top Recommendations for Your MSP
All that being said, here are our top tips for you:
Review the PSA Statuses to ensure they make sense from a Customer “New” to “Complete” experience.
Place Statuses in New to Complete order.
Draft notifications that meet the Communication Protocol.
Leverage Workflow Rules to automate the process.
Educate the Support Team to follow the Protocol and:
Provide consistency to the Customer that drives efficiency.
Provide the same Customer experience no matter which Tech engages.
The elephant in the room:
How do we know what we know? Because we are not philosophers! We are hands-on "How To" coaches that guide MSPs every day on how to thrive by:
1) Fully leveraging the Autotask software
2) Providing the "Best in Class" Standard Operating Procedures
3) Leveraging Autotask Live Reports holding everyone accountable
We are Thinkers and Doers with 49+ years of working for MSPs, bringing real Bottom-Line Improvements, change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
Here are a few bullet points to let anyone interested know who we are and what we do:
1) We Are – the Autotask Global Service Delivery Authority
2) We Help – MSPs thrive
3) We Solve – Service Delivery issues, inefficiencies, and challenges by making sure that:
a. MSPs know what they don't know
b. Techs know what to work on next
c. Someone is managing all open tickets and driving them to completion
d. The Client has a great client experience
e. Real-Time Time Entry is a cultural habit
f. Projects are completed On-Time and On-Budget
g. Profit is maximized
h. Autotask is being fully leveraged
i. The staffing levels are correct, and the workload is balanced
j. The historical data that is in the Autotask software is accessible to benchmark, track & USE effectively
k. The Service Delivery operations can scale
l. The Company can grow
4) Our Tools:
a. Autotask "Best in Class" standard build
b. Our MSP robust Service Delivery SOP library
c. Advanced Live Reports
d. Expertise in providing a transformational experience
Note: We are not philosophers; we are doers with 49+ years of Service Delivery experience, bringing real Service Delivery Improvement change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
We start by offering a FREE No-Obligation PSA Configuration Evaluation.
To your success.